Under the Night Sky
by fataliste
Summary: [shounen-ai; implied MitKo (sorta)] Kogure bumps into Mitsui on the way home from cram school.


Disclaimer: Slam Dunk & its characters are © Inoue Takehiko

_For a challenge at "Temps Mort" to write a drabble under 75 minutes with the keyphrase "May I have this dance?"._

* * *

**Under the Night Sky**  
_a Slam Dunk fanfiction_

Kogure finds himself taking the long way home from _juku_ for reasons unknown, and discovers this only when he's halfway on the route.

"I must be really tired. Need rest. Home. Soon." He mutters to himself as he hefts the pile of books in his arms again with a sigh, continuing on with his sneakers making a rhythmic _thud-thud_ against concrete pavement. Too tired even to look around him as he has the habit of doing whenever he's alone, he wonders again, irritated, what made him take this route. Just then the rows of buildings on either side of him abruptly cease and he remembers, finding himself standing in open ground, the path now littered with wind-blown scattered soil, sand and bits of grass, and occasionally a sand-imprinted footprint or two.

He instinctively inhales deeply, a less-tired sigh escaping as he exhales, good-humour returning and feeling more his usual self with the clear breath of the night air in him. Even the books he is carrying seems to lighten as he takes in another deep breath, a small smile on his lips. He starts humming softly, footsteps light as he chooses to go off the path and onto the grass, following a familiar route that only his feet knows to take, void of any visible markers.

---

Kogure soon approaches the place that he has been thinking of, but slows down when he sees someone else there, gazing upwards into the sky. He recognises who the other is and stops immediately, shifting the books in his hands and feeling their weight returning, wondering if he should just go on home.

Since he had decided to quit the team together with Akagi to prepare for the college entrance exams, he has barely seen the other, let alone really spoken to him. Occasionally, he still drops by the gym to see how the team is progressing; but even then, they seldom speak to each other for long, and usually exchange nothing more than pleasantries. Their relationship has begun to grow distant again, not that Kogure has bothered to do anything about it. And the other certainly didn't seem to notice anything; or if he did, didn't see any need to rectify the situation either.

Strangely though, Kogure does not want to meet the other this evening. The thought comes to him that he does not want to meet the other unprepared like this. He turns to leave, unconsciously biting his lower lip, when he hears the familiar voice calling out to him.

"Hey! Kogure?"

He falters, wonders if he should go on and pretend that he did not hear the greeting, but his feet decide to turn him around and he has no choice but to look up, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Hi, Mitsui. Out so late?"

He watches as Mitsui grins in answer and jumps up, attired in Shohoku's basketball uniform, and walks up to him.

"I was about to head on home but I felt like staying a little longer. And then you came along. Talk about coincidences. It's been a long time. How have you been?"

"Ah... busy, as usual." Wryly, he glances pointedly at the books in his arms and then back at Mitsui.

Mitsui laughs, not unsympathetically, before he replies. "That's the reason why I would rather play basketball for Shohoku than lock myself up in a room surrounded by books. Not my thing. And I don't have the brains for it either." He screws his face up and wordlessly takes the books from Kogure's arms before heading back to where he has been sitting earlier on.

"Jeez, Kogure, these books are bloody heavy! What on earth do you... Aren't you coming?" Mitsui stops his one-sided conversation, just realising that Kogure is not beside him and turns, an eyebrow arched in question.

Kogure blinks, feeling a sudden weight lift from him, before he chuckles somewhat nervously and nods in agreement.

"Ah."

---

"It's a great place, isn't it?" Mitsui smiles as he plops down, carefully putting Kogure's books on top of his bag. As the other settles down beside him, Mitsui stretches out his legs, the knee guard pulled down and resting around his ankle. "I remember when you first showed me this place when we were freshmen, before-" He stops there and looks at Kogure, unwilling to continue.

"Yes, I remember that," Kogure replies, ignoring the significant pause. Hooking his hands behind his head, he lies down and rests one knee over the other. "The night sky's still as beautiful when seen from here, isn't it?"

"Ah." Mitsui lies down, imitating Kogure's pose, and darts a quick look at Kogure, who senses the questioning glance and tilts his head slightly, meeting Mitsui's gaze calmly.

"I remember when I was little, Mother used to bring me here. We would go late at night when even Father was asleep and look at the sky. Mother used to tell me the best tales about the stars then. During the summer, fireflies would gather and we would watch them until they disappeared. The only times we didn't come here was during the dead cold of winter. But when we did come, we always began by dancing, Mother holding me up in her arms and swinging me around. She said that it was only polite to greet Tsukiyomi-sama beforehand and we would do it with a dance in his honour." Kogure's smile widens into a playful grin before he continues. "I still remember her singing 'Sakura, Sakura'. That was one of my favourite songs. It's been such a long time since then." Kogure's gaze softens before he suddenly sits upright, pulling off his shoes and socks and removing his glasses, placing them on the grass next to Mitsui.

Mitsui only gapes in astonishment as his friend pulls his shirt out from where it had been tucked neatly in his pants, unbuttoning the top few buttons before springing up to his feet with a laugh.

"_Sakura!__ Sakura! Yayoi no sora wa. Miwatasu kagiri Kasumi ka? Kumo ka? Nioi zo izuru; Iza ya! Iza ya!..._" Whirling around, his arms spread out, Kogure half-yells, half-sings, eyes closed and head tossed back, in his own world of memories.

Mitsui sighs, wonders if Kogure has become too stressed with the preparation for the entrance exams, and swears vehemently not to end up in the same state as his friend is apparently in now. Not that Kogure looks the least bit insane as he prances barefoot across the grass; recalling the last few times he has met his friend in school or during basketball trainings, Mitsui rests his chin on his crossed arms and stares at his still-madly-prancing friend. Kogure looks the most happiest that Mitsui has seen him look in ages, the most carefree.

And Mitsui cannot help but grin in greeting as Kogure spins back towards him, his face questioning as a flushed Kogure stops in front of him, brown eyes sparkling in exhilaration, and bows with a sweeping flourish of one hand, offering the other to him.

"May I have this dance?" The question softly asked is playful, yet there's a serious and formal intonation to it in contrast with the dizzying happiness on Kogure's face. Not usually one to dance, let alone in some open field where anyone can stop by and watch, and with a guy, Mitsui hesitates and self-consciously looks around. Seeing no one, not at so late an hour of the night anyway in this secluded field, and then looking up to see Kogure still waiting patiently, hand outstretched, he shrugs and takes hold of the hand, allowing the other to pull him up with a triumphant grin.

"Just don't tell anyone I danced with you in an open field in the middle of the night," Mitsui mutters half-heartedly before placing his other hand on Kogure's back.

"It's a secret," Kogure promises in a dramatic whisper and a wink, leaning slightly forward.

---

It seems only natural to move into Kogure's arms then; or was it Kogure who moved into his? Mitsui can't remember the details; not that it even matters.

He only remembers how right it feels.

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_Notes:  
__- juku__: cramming school  
__- Tsukiyomi__: Japanese god of the Night/Moon  
__- "Sakura, Sakura" is a traditional Japanese folksong, which is also a popular children's song_


End file.
